Every year, the competition for the St. Gallen Wings of Excellence Award offers graduate and postgraduate university students throughout the world the unique opportunity to take part in the St. Gallen Symposium. Students enter into a challenging exchange of ideas with today’s global leaders about the pressing economic and societal questions of our time. Competitors are invited to submit their thoughts and visions on the theme of the St. Gallen Symposium. All contributions will be evaluated according to specific criteria by a panel of professors, corporate executives, entrepreneurs and politicians.

The authors of the 100 best contributions qualify as "Leaders of Tomorrow" and will be invited to the St. Gallen Symposium – in the company of 600 entrepreneurs, top managers, politicians and scientists from more than 60 nations. The most outstanding contributions are bestowed the St. Gallen Wings of Excellence Award, which is endowed with a EUR 20,000.– prize, and will be presented to the audience by their authors.

Students from all fields of study, born in or after 1983 and enrolled in a university graduate or postgraduate programme (Master's level or higher) as of February 2013, are eligible for the essay competition.

Information on the general requirements, the application process and much more can be found by clicking through the index of the student competition on this website.

The archive provides an overview of past Student Awards. Information about past winners who played an eminent role in past St. Gallen Symposia both as student participants and as student speakers can be found in this section.